Chapter 3: Look At Yourself

"Which one is Mrs. Sterling?"

The reporter's question tore through the ballroom with the force of an explosion.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to freeze.

Conversations stopped in the middle of sentences.

Laughter died instantly.

Even the music felt distant.

Every pair of eyes turned toward Lucas.

They were waiting.

Watching.

Judging.

My heart hammered violently against my ribs as I stared at my husband.

This was it.

This was the moment when everything would finally become clear.

This was the moment Vanessa's confidence would crumble.

This was the moment Lucas would put an end to every rumor, every whisper, and every humiliating glance that had followed me for months.

Most importantly, this was the moment my husband would choose me.

Lucas looked at me.

Then he looked at Vanessa.

Then his gaze returned to me once again.

His jaw tightened.

For the briefest second, I saw something flash across his face.

Not concern.

Not guilt.

Not embarrassment.

Irritation.

The realization struck harder than I wanted to admit.

He looked annoyed.

As though I had created a problem for him.

As though I was responsible for the uncomfortable situation unfolding around us.

The reporter laughed awkwardly.

"Mr. Sterling?"

Lucas finally answered.

"Olivia is my wife."

Relief flooded through me so suddenly that my knees nearly weakened.

But the feeling lasted less than a second.

Because Lucas didn't move toward me.

He didn't stand beside me.

He didn't reach for my hand.

He didn't even glance at me again.

Instead, he turned directly toward the reporter.

"That's enough questions."

His tone left no room for argument.

The reporter immediately backed away.

The crowd slowly returned to their conversations.

Yet the whispers remained.

I could hear them lingering around us.

I could feel them crawling across my skin.

The humiliation stayed exactly where it was.

Vanessa stepped backward with a small smile.

Not far enough to leave.

Not far enough to seem uninvolved.

Just close enough to remain by Lucas's side.

Just close enough to remind everyone exactly where she stood.

And exactly where I didn't.

I stared at my husband.

"We need to talk."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Not now."

"Now."

His expression hardened.

"Olivia."

The warning in his voice was familiar.

For years, that tone had been enough to make me back down.

Once upon a time, I would have obeyed.

Not tonight.

"No."

A shadow crossed his face.

Around us, guests pretended to focus on their drinks and conversations.

None of them were fooling anyone.

Every person within hearing distance was listening.

Lucas reached out and grabbed my elbow.

His grip wasn't painful.

But it was firm.

Controlled.

Commanding.

"Come with me."

I immediately pulled my arm away.

The movement startled him.

Good.

Let him be surprised.

For months, I had suffered in silence while he looked everywhere except at me.

If he felt uncomfortable now, that was his problem.

"What happened to the necklace?" I asked.

His expression instantly became unreadable.

"What necklace?"

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"The necklace she's wearing."

His eyes moved toward Vanessa.

Then away again.

It was a tiny reaction.

Almost invisible.

But I saw it.

And that was enough.

He knew exactly what necklace I was talking about.

My anger grew stronger.

"You told me it was lost."

"Olivia—"

"You lied."

Several nearby conversations stopped completely.

The ballroom suddenly felt smaller.

Hotter.

More suffocating.

Lucas lowered his voice.

"This isn't the place."

I laughed again.

"Then tell me where the place is, Lucas."

My voice cracked despite my efforts to control it.

I hated that weakness.

"At home?"

Silence.

"Your office?"

Nothing.

"Or maybe your assistant's apartment?"

His eyes flashed dangerously.

"Enough."

There it was.

Not remorse.

Not regret.

Anger.

He was angry at me.

The wife he had neglected.

The woman he had abandoned emotionally.

The woman standing in front of him begging to matter.

Something inside me finally broke.

Months of loneliness.

Months of rejection.

Months of unanswered questions.

Everything exploded at once.

"Do you know how many times I called you today?"

His jaw tightened.

"Olivia."

"No, answer me."

I could feel everyone watching openly now.

I no longer cared.

"I needed you."

His face hardened further.

"I was busy."

The words landed like a slap.

Busy.

He was busy while I sat alone staring at legal notices threatening to destroy me.

Busy while debt collectors prepared to come after me.

Busy while I cried inside that enormous mansion.

Busy while I questioned whether my husband still loved me.

Busy laughing beside another woman.

My eyes burned.

"You didn't even call me back."

Lucas rubbed his forehead as though I were exhausting him.

As though I were an inconvenience.

"Can we discuss this later?"

"No."

"Olivia."

"No!"

The word echoed louder than I intended.

Several guests fully turned toward us.

I heard whispers spreading through the crowd.

I heard judgment.

I heard curiosity.

But I couldn't stop anymore.

I had spent too long remaining silent.

"You haven't touched me in months."

The room fell silent.

Complete silence.

Lucas's eyes widened.

I knew exactly what I had done.

I had dragged our private misery into public view.

Good.

Let everyone see the truth.

Let everyone know what my perfect marriage actually looked like.

"You don't talk to me anymore."

My voice trembled.

"You don't look at me."

Pain tightened around my chest.

"You don't even notice when I'm hurting."

Lucas shifted uncomfortably.

Not because of my pain.

Not because of my tears.

Because people were watching.

That realization hurt more than anything else.

Then Vanessa stepped forward.

"Maybe we should all calm down."

I turned toward her.

The audacity nearly left me speechless.

"Stay out of this."

Instantly, she looked wounded.

Innocent.

Concerned.

The performance was flawless.

Everything about her was fake.

Lucas sighed heavily.

"Vanessa is trying to help."

I froze.

The words echoed inside my head.

Vanessa is trying to help.

Help?

The woman wearing my anniversary gift?

The woman glued to his side at every public event?

The woman who seemed to know more about his life than I did?

Help?

A broken laugh escaped me.

The sound felt sharp enough to cut through glass.

"You really don't see it."

Lucas frowned.

"See what?"

Tears filled my eyes despite my efforts to stop them.

I hated crying.

Especially here.

Especially in front of them.

But the pain was too much.

"I've lost three babies."

The words shattered across the ballroom.

Several people gasped.

Vanessa immediately looked away.

Lucas went completely still.

"I've had surgeries."

My voice weakened.

"I've endured treatments."

I struggled to breathe.

"I've lived through more pain than I ever thought possible."

Then I looked directly into his eyes.

"And I went through most of it alone."

Silence consumed the room.

For a moment, I saw something flicker in his gaze.

Guilt.

Real guilt.

But it vanished almost immediately.

His eyes slowly traveled over me.

From my face.

To my body.

To the weight grief had left behind.

To the physical evidence of everything I had survived.

Then he spoke.

And the words carved themselves into my soul.

"Look at yourself."

The room became completely still.

Even breathing seemed impossible.

My heart stopped.

Vanessa looked stunned.

Lucas exhaled heavily.

Frustrated.

Tired.

Finished.

"Look at what you've become."

Every word cut deeper than the last.

"You're emotional all the time."

Another wound.

"You refuse to help yourself."

Another.

"You've pushed everyone away."

Another.

"And now you're standing here creating a scene in front of hundreds of people."

The tears finally escaped.

One after another.

I couldn't stop them.

Because the worst part wasn't his cruelty.

The worst part was the certainty behind his words.

He believed them.

He truly believed I was the problem.

Not the miscarriages.

Not the loneliness.

Not the abandonment.

Not the years of neglect.

Me.

Only me.

My vision blurred.

The ballroom began to spin around me.

My breathing became uneven.

The floor beneath my feet suddenly felt unstable.

Someone called my name.

I couldn't tell who.

The lights above grew painfully bright.

Everything tilted.

Everything blurred.

Everything spun.

Lucas frowned.

"Olivia?"

For the first time all night, I heard concern in his voice.

Too late.

Far too late.

My knees gave out beneath me.

The last thing I saw was Lucas rushing forward.

The last thing I heard was shouting erupting throughout the ballroom.

Then darkness swallowed me whole.

---

Voices drifted through the darkness.

Distant.

Muffled.

Urgent.

"Her blood pressure is dropping."

"Get a doctor immediately."

"Move, move!"

Footsteps echoed around me.

More voices followed.

Then another voice cut through the chaos.

Female.

Sharp.

Shocked.

"Oh my God."

More movement.

More confusion.

Then silence.

A long silence.

Until a doctor finally spoke.

His voice trembled.

"Call her husband immediately."

A nurse sounded confused.

"Why?"

The doctor's answer changed everything.

"Because Mrs. Sterling is pregnant."

The room fell silent.

And somewhere deep inside the darkness where I remained unconscious, a single tear slid slowly down my cheek.